[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6523566,"mediaKeyId","5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c","parentId",5029384,"title","State education staff outline FY26 budget requests including $50M for school safety and $52M for struggling readers","audioSeconds",690,"startMs",3034000,"endMs",3724000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c&start=3034&end=3724","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c/thumbnail_3034000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6523566/Alabama/State-education-staff-outline-FY26-budget-requests-including-50M-for-school-safety-and-52M-for-struggling-readers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6523566-481f3b6191b63e6bd61b19a492273b94/orig.mp4?Expires=1771011221&Signature=Ni108iqfP9lKC0uECQkIvdU8Y6VWILZvZb1tbC5xUXwutOoE8MnbzogMfPB6NG1y09BdJi0BOS16k784NBPPWv7SOqZgdE-ddu1Z~eq8~3NbipRzEObHDm~ExaR7Eda5dqlmDHpa~ddtLE3Gi6ntZVHVq59Dj1eOoGFfczFXhzpxKn3gT1XkiEu9xQ~wDIVZ9suUrm~sdKuuYue2esT5IXWyNskJq4EX1VcaHJSIOwfKCEL~gfEYs41lwhHeuyZgtc1kUB~8092FBA-8WzJeO10OdHTLc6owoVzC7PWd1QLxwtNhYM2nYWr0iE3hBsrlHT201ch1NaP1IpZO2cagyA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alabama State Department of Education","date","2025-06-18T00:52:29Z","article","State Department of Education staff walked the board through the department’s proposed FY26 budget submission and program requests, highlighting several line items the department will ask the Executive Budget Office to include.

The presentation covered standard foundation program flows and targeted requests. Dr. Payne and other department staff noted that items discussed at the board retreat had been folded into the current draft and that the board can adjust requests before the formal submission deadline.

Why it matters: The foundation program and specific categorical grants determine how much money flows to local school systems. Changes to transportation funding, assistant principal allocations, school safety grants, and interventions for struggling readers can shift district budgets and programming.

Selected program requests and details discussed:
- School safety: staff said they have a $50 million grant request in the FY26 package for school safety, security and safety inspector positions; staff and board discussed the likelihood the legislature might fund some or most of this via the supplemental budget so funds would be available sooner.
- Struggling readers beyond grade 3: the department requested about $52 million to expand interventions for students above third grade who need additional reading support.
- AEDs and other statutory line items: the department is asking for level funding on AEDs and similar requirements.
- Assistant principals (AP units): the department described a change to the enrollment thresholds that determine AP units; the legislature reduced the threshold for elementary/middle AP units to 300 earlier this year and the department included a request to return the threshold to 250 in its foundation program calculation.
- Auxiliary teacher grant: originally a turnaround‑school program (about $5 million), the legislature expanded the allowable uses and the department now plans a broader competitive grant to place auxiliary teachers by several prioritization factors (EL population, support level, report‑card score) and noted some carryover funding is available.
- Distance learning / Access: the request expands access courses and additional sections to meet growing demand; staff said more course development funding will be needed once federal ARP/ESSER funds are exhausted.
- Transportation: the department requested “fully funded” transportation (staff referenced the recommended funding level used in the foundation calculation).
- Career technical education and Jobs for Alabama Graduates: staff requested increased funding to expand career tech and workforce pathways (specific line increases were discussed; staff noted $10 million proposed for career tech expansion in one line item).

Board members asked for granular notes explaining each line item for internal discussion; staff said the EBO submission is numeric only but the department has preserved explanatory notes for presentations to the budget office and legislature.

Ending: Staff emphasized the FY26 package is a draft and can be revised through October and into the legislative session; they urged board members to prioritize school safety and reading interventions in planning.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Alabama Board of Education Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Department of Education staff presented the draft FY26 budget proposal to the State Board, highlighting proposed investments in school safety, struggling readers, auxiliary teachers, distance learning expansion and career technical education.","taxTitle","Alabama State Department of Education, State Agencies, Executive, Alabama","taxId",80275,"location","Alabama","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6523570,"Retirement Systems official urges caution on retiree COLAs; RSA board to request legislative help for PHIP shortfall",0,3369000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c&start=3369&end=3369","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c/thumbnail_3369000.jpg","/articles/6523570/Alabama/Retirement-Systems-official-urges-caution-on-retiree-COLAs-RSA-board-to-request-legislative-help-for-PHIP-shortfall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6523570-3ad0d54e698c9a32c52821786134c7a2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771011221&Signature=J8tY1ah9jxdmffP1~hz2KpZk-HU0A-ftfY9hXE4qhtHTvY8k51C2Vtqw2not-2SfsiB~WiI3Zw1ofZkJ6zonCFfOyNFznHbqW5EisJ9FliUpzWHpdiovCx7cqh3FDSdKgdAAtXve-gUmtcWGKDR78JQB6zvxAt8A1NC7RO4a9-cXfuqJS4j8kIVoWrWrIP2rzk2Mg6Ox~IrNnI0Ha-CuZXnYWbJgOgsECDfTPljL45rQ48~ZDY~GG-r1clglgZjbZg4OlsWKI~zEVop~lgvS~tvcEglSBidzENBa0Xwgk8v6H5jWhkRs2g~fL-MI0NQXCRf8NaZUlXfMd2EiW9J9Xw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mia Scott, legislative counsel for the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA), briefed the Alabama State Board of Education on the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), retiree cost drivers and a shortfall in retiree health funding.

Scott said TRS benefits are funded through member contributions, employer contributions set by statute, and RSA investment earnings, and that retiree COLAs are not a plan feature funded throughout a member’s career. “The retiree COLA was granted, and then the liability for that COLA was just added to RSA’s liabilities,” Scott said, explaining why COLAs are expensive when granted ad hoc.

Scott told the board that TRS paid about $2.5 billion in retiree payroll in fiscal 2023 and that TRS trust assets for benefits are roughly $28 billion. She said investment income was the largest revenue source in fiscal 2023 (about $3.3 billion) and that recent market volatility affects the system’s funded status.

Why it matters: TRS covers K–12 teachers and other education employees statewide; employer contribution rates feed school budgets, and retiree health and pension decisions can create multi‑year obligations for districts and the state.

Key details from the presentation and the board discussion:
- Scott said there are roughly 130,000 active TRS members paying in now. Employer contribution rates are set after actuarial valuations and by the legislature.
- There is no statutory authority for TRS to grant retiree COLAs; in Alabama they must come from the legislature and historically have been granted ad hoc and often without pre-funding. Scott said a 1% prefunded TRS COLA would cost roughly $200 million in upfront normal‑cost funding.
- The RSA board recently addressed an unexpected shortfall in the Public Health Insurance Plan (PHIP) for Medicare-eligible retirees caused by changes in federal Medicare funding for Part D. Scott said the RSA board authorized staff to withdraw up to about $119 million from a retiree trust (established in 2007 and valued at about $2.3 billion) for fiscal 2026 and to request roughly $129 million from the legislature to cover the remainder.
- Scott said the TRS employer contribution rate is projected to increase about one percentage point for FY26, driven by lower investment returns recognized in 2022, updated actuarial assumptions (mortality, investment return), and salary growth.

Board members asked for further detail about participant makeup, comparisons with other states' COLA designs and the interplay with other state plans (SEIB/PHIP). Scott and staff said options are limited: retrofitting a statutory, prefunded COLA for the current membership would be “astronomically expensive” and that the legislature has instead used one-time bonuses or supplemental funds in recent years.

The board and staff flagged next steps: school systems should expect employer rate pressures in FY26 budgeting; RSA staff will present more detail to the legislature and the board will return with contingency options if the legislature does not appropriate requested PHIP funds.

Ending: Scott urged board members to view the pension and retiree‑health issues as context for board budget discussions. “I don't know what the solution is that would help retirees that is affordable and sustainable,” she said, adding RSA’s primary legal duty is to protect promised benefits.

","Mia Scott, legislative counsel for the Retirement Systems of Alabama, told the State Board that retiree cost‑of‑living adjustments (COLAs) are not prefunded under TRS and are expensive; the RSA board authorized staff to use retiree-trust funds and to ask the legislature to cover the remainder of a PHIP shortfall.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6523556,"Board reviews new high‑school diploma pathways: career‑tech pathway, seals and crosswalk to existing credits",971,9988000,10959000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c&start=9988&end=10959","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c/thumbnail_9988000.jpg","/articles/6523556/Alabama/Board-reviews-new-highschool-diploma-pathways-careertech-pathway-seals-and-crosswalk-to-existing-credits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6523556-22298828341fe7bd255814259cdc516a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771011221&Signature=Z1g7LmmexBwBCFdxX5FlxT2ctx9EIxUmA81PKEXwlPB8H326ZVNMhNf~mPQfPnYJq57tM2hfPcZYip0rzVECN2dPBjZ7jb7EVKYsbbmGiHl60toM1FhxehYOXFeExZCTxK9n4n~2Ow7uHv08yraLIGmzYCF9E4Rkcs0N1q5yxA~3b47HKEoM9uPTPstaunWEsn6TRYP9lel1465ux7wn8aKNjV7Cev1JqxfDZJc8OVl3biwOe0S1E-KvNJ2fBUvc4TBGmJRiiEXz55W5WRzwLCPrs4TUebOzlIWXgKABqbB-vEY~VhZ1U2HPUzDqYBnwIRFZjTAoM5u8jwidZENEmg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department staff presented draft language to implement a law authorizing two ways to meet the Alabama high‑school diploma requirements: an Option A path that follows the current required courses and an Option B path that emphasizes career technical education (CTE) sequences and electives.

What was presented:
- Both Option A and Option B would remain 24‑credit diplomas; they would represent different course sequences to reach the same diploma rather than different diploma types printed on the certificate.
- Option B requires three (3) credits in a career‑technical sequence (a CTE completer) and increases elective flexibility: additional mathematics/science, world languages, arts education or other electives could be used to satisfy elective credits. Staff emphasized the design is intended to preserve college and postsecondary options while strengthening CTE pathways.
- The draft adds a workforce pathway seal: students who complete a four‑course CTE sequence plus a senior capstone (internship, apprenticeship or similar) would earn a seal on their transcript/diploma acknowledging workforce readiness.
- Staff recommended removing an outdated distance‑learning requirement (originally written when email/online access was nascent) and correcting the code language to use “beginning kinesiology” rather than “physical education.”
- The draft also corrects the code to allow charter school governing authorities to issue state diplomas (an oversight in prior code language that referenced only county or city boards).

Why it matters: The change creates an explicit career pathway that state lawmakers and education leaders intend to make more attractive and viable for students who want workforce preparation without closing college options. It also clarifies diploma issuance for charter schools and modernizes obsolete code language.

Board discussion and next steps: Staff said drafts will be circulated and that the department intends to present the rule as an intent item in October and pursue final action in December so that the changes are communicated to middle‑ and high‑school counselors before students lock in 4‑year plans. Staff and board members discussed counselor training, timing for eighth‑grade planning and communications to families.

Ending: Board members commended the effort to keep both college and career options open and asked staff to finalize textual corrections and communications materials for counselors and families.

","The board reviewed draft rules for two diploma pathways (Option A — current requirements; Option B — career/CTE pathway), a workforce pathway seal, and incidental code cleanups (remove outdated distance‑learning language, correct PE/kinesiology language). Staff proposed the changes be effective for students beginning 2025–26.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6523562,"State board weighs moving third‑grade reading cut score to –1.5 this year, then to –1 by 2026–27",2403,7139000,9542000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c&start=7139&end=9542","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5029384-c06d77897835c1cbc60466b264b9a20c/thumbnail_7139000.jpg","/articles/6523562/Alabama/State-board-weighs-moving-thirdgrade-reading-cut-score-to-15-this-year-then-to-1-by-202627","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6523562-0bf355fe7764b974216aab3b53aa3fa0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771011221&Signature=EV8BPEw6vyN9vnDR-~fXWHRKS-DJWjG-yk~BfUXHc1LrJVRoAQXkSjnlb-uK0eMZ12Zn4hdRs4yBSGJkJZf3zTGV0FLkmKyRPhfKW0OphKwFEvMmqNd6TmFwmvoNBMuVOI4wCp-vSnbCfpuxqUrWKSR8NcByV-7TXAQzW0hJBNMgyAoolF~5JJrH~LC5TabvwsVK4G98kEAdSw3oVXPXkst8r7gH0GD23jREMGQpL-pTNePxsbEnPR~OwztQxkKFAR-efF2bzPfz4YPQ8mxQbeBS5Di2351GqbhG1jHuzO6DbqJZIjHPZrNA42zCOO483kZqSxwB2V1Z54Lx6AtOOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The State Board discussed whether to raise the third‑grade reading cut score used for the literacy law decisions and associated retention rules.

Dr. Mackey recommended a three‑year runway: raise the cut score to –1.5 (a scaled score of 444) for the coming year, keep it at –1.5 the next year, and move to –1 (scaled score 454) in the 2026–27 school year. “My recommendation coming in is that we go up to 1.5,” he said.

Why it matters: Under Alabama law the cut score helps identify students who may be retained; the policy affects promotion, summer remediation, district intervention plans and parent communications.

Key points and numbers from the discussion:
- Current (most recent) cut score: –2, scaled score 435. Board members said the initial cohort under –2 was about 9% of students.
- Proposed trajectory discussed in detail: Option A — move to –1.5 (444) this year, remain at –1.5 next year, then –1 (454) in 2026–27. Option B — remain at –2 for one more year, then step up to –1.5, then to –1, reaching the same endpoint but with a later first step.
- Staff said about 9% of students were below the –2 cut this year; staff also reported that of students who went to summer reading programs and retested, roughly 2.5 percentage points improved enough to clear the cut score, reducing the net retention pool.
- Board members emphasized the need to communicate carefully to parents and to send two model letters: one for students below the cut and a second for students who meet the passing threshold but remain “at risk” and should receive follow‑up supports.
- The board discussed the portfolio and exemption processes: as of the meeting staff reported preliminary counts of students being promoted via IEP, 504, supplemental assessment and portfolios; districts have until September 16 to finalize portfolio/promotions reporting.

Board questions focused on resource availability for summer programming and interventions (districts previously used supplemental federal dollars that are expiring), the desire for a clear multi‑year signal to districts and teachers, and the statistical issue that three data points are normally better for trend analysis.

Ending: The superintendent recommended the 3‑year plan (444 this year, remain at 444 next year, then 454 in ’26–’27) to give districts a predictable trajectory; several board members signaled support for a gradual move while stressing the need for continued investments in interventions and communication to families.

","Board members debated whether to raise the third‑grade reading cut score from –2 (435) to –1.5 (444) for the coming year, holding that level for two years and reaching –1 (454) in 2026–27; staff and board discussed retention, summer remediation, portfolio and good‑cause exemptions and communications to parents.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State education staff outline FY26 budget requests including $50M for school safety and $52M for struggling readers

Retirement Systems official urges caution on retiree COLAs; RSA board to request legislative help for PHIP shortfall

Board reviews new high‑school diploma pathways: career‑tech pathway, seals and crosswalk to existing credits

State board weighs moving third‑grade reading cut score to –1.5 this year, then to –1 by 2026–27